Epilogue

Mainframe's perspective:

A few weeks had passed since Amelie and her group managed to get out of the planet Machina with the information from the Flux group and I was working pretty hard ya'know. Analysing the information I gained with my new specs is super easy but using that information…

Well not everything can be achieved with better processing power. I mean c'mon. I had to publish all their dirty dealings in a way that people totallllly didn't know was me AND THEN I had to do some messing with their files to make it look like a bunch of whistleblowers just came out of the woodwork.

Obviously a bunch of whistleblowers "Poof!"ing into existence would look hella suspicious but hey it doesn't need to be believable for anyone with half a brain. Because they're the kinds of people who would know and sympathise with what happened anyway.

So after going through all the information, airing Flux's dirty laundry for all to see and shoving that one old pair of socks they hid in the deepest, darkest closet into their faces I was finally done with that. Which of course means that the Flux branch was dismantled soon after.

That was so much more work. I had to make sure the police got the right place, Flux didn't just brush off the allegations that were made AND I had to make sure their lawyers didn't just weasel them out of this one and allow them to set up another branch in this system.

Then I had to get the government to sign(Don't ask how) an agreement stating that Flux will never be allowed in this system again. It was so much work honestly. Worse, I then had to buy the orphanage from Flux. Luckily the were panicked and didn't investigate my cover too much. Well I still had it handled if they did but it would've been a right pain.

Now I'm running the orphanage… FINALLY! "Woo hoo" my hands reach the armrests of my chair and I attempt to kick my legs but I don't get any momentum. I look down confused only to realise…

"Oh yeah" I hadn't budged an inch. Well ignoring all that for the moment *Coughs awkwardly tehe*. What I know that's an old saying but I'm old. 19 is really old you know. I'm like… Actually I'm immortal since I'm an AI and therefore eternally young. Huuuhh did I inadvertantly find the cure to raging?!

My mouth drops into an O shape for a few seconds. Then I regain my previous demeanour. Yeah actually that makes a lot of sense now that I think about it. Guess I can't use the excuse that I'm old any more. Man I was really looking forward to being like the old witch who lives in the neighbourhood and says stuff like "Oh how nice to be young." and "I'm too old for this sh*t".

Well actually I'd bet the back problems and the old joints would be a real pain in the as* so actually… Yeah it's great to be eternally young. Isn't every woman in the world going to come and kill me now though? Eh? I don't really want that.

Well I'm on an artificial planet in space. I'm sure I'll be fine. Probably…. Moving on…. For real this time. Right where was I? Ah yes running an orphanage. So I'm actually running two. Did I mention that? I know I'm awesome right.

I had so much work that I decided it was a good idea to double it and make myself miserable. Wait that doesn't sound like a good idea in hindsight? Whatever. Anyway now I run two orphanages. It was kinda hilarious when the team came back from their mission and landed at the old temple on Donavore only to discover a real, fully functioning orphanage.

Oh the looks on their faces. Emily says I should'a been there and I couldn't agree more. Really sucks that I can't move right now. Well I'm sure I'll fix that eventually. Anyway with the two orphanages under my company's banner they're being properly run. By someone else.

Ok so I don't trust anyone as far as I can throw them since I could probably throw someone a good distance by now. Hmm then again I can't move at the moment. What was I saying? Oh yeah throwing people. I'd say I could treat a human like a javelin if they made their body straight enough.

Wait no that wasn't it… Right orphanage! So I run the two orphanages now. The flux branch is gone. Oh and the head of security stuck around. I should give him a call actually. Let me just check up on the man real quick.

I pull up the security cameras I have access to in my mental network and bring some of my attention to it. I scan the images for faces real quick. Then I scan the faces and… Found him! Having dispersed my consciousness to search I quickly focus it all on the image.

A man with hair like someone had dipped silk in a bucket of tar and given it a good ruffle was sitting at a bar table. His eyes once cold and emotionless but driven now resemble black holes. Bottomless pits of something unknown that suck everything around them in so that they may never leave.

The wrinkles on his face, once so little as to be indistinguishable because of his young age, now make him look as though he had seen the void and it took his life away. His skin was drooping like a puppy's tail after being scolded and his clothes were an utter mess.

His suit jacket had once projected an heir of professionalism and grace. Now, there were so many rips and tears you would think he'd been mauled by a wild animal. White cloth was spilling out of the frayed seams like blood gushing from a wound.

His head was low and his hand was caressing a drink. A simple glass filled with an amber liquid. He would without fail always trace the glass' rim without even looking. The eyes of the bartender only had the pity of someone used to seeing this sight and no hint of hope or altruism.

"Well this certainly won't do." I said to myself in my little hidey hole. My voice was quiet and came out with a small nostalgic smile. Lets see what I want to do with you. Why don't you come and join the team? I'm sure we'll have some great fun.

I send off a message with a text to speech program I made myself. His communicator lights up with my very own symbol and upon seeing it he swipes at his communicator with all the grace of an ogre right in front of the bartender.

The message plays aloud. His only response however is to smash his communicator on the ground. "That might be the most extreme rejection I've ever faced. I'm hurt." I say clutching at my chest and reeling back a little further than was necessary.

Well I guess he doesn't want to join. In which case lets leave him alone for now. It's not like he's gonna do anything crazy. I can always keep an eye on him. More importantly I get to enjoy the spoils of war.

I look at a press conference I just brought up in my mindscape. The report on the bottom of the screen reads "Flux forced to abandon the Papal branch due to scandal. Flux the infamous corporation famous for their leading technology was forced to abandon an up and coming branch of their facilities thanks to their treatment of employees, dubious business practices and multiple counts of assault, murder and intimidation. In a press conference the Flux representative said this 'We are simply being blamed for all these crimes. Someone is nipping at Flux's heels and we already know who they are and we are taking steps to rectify the issue. I assure you our besmirched noble name will be cleared soon enough.' Reports are coming in that the disturbance was due to whistleblowers…"

"Hahahahahahhaha!" My laughter rings out through my hidey hole. It's loud, high pitched and slightly eerie tone simply reverberating in my own ears. It almost resembles the cackle of a witch in fairy tales.

"Oh that's hilarious. They are blaming all this on me even though they know the public's reaction. That's priceless." My uproarious laughter rings out for quite a while after reading the report. Well that's that I guess. Flux are after me but that was always going to happen. I'd say this was pretty successful I guess. Well done me.